A method is provided for managing a location sensing operation for location-based applications, including activating a first sensor disposed in the portable device so as to provide a location sensing operation requested by at least one location-based application. The method further includes periodically monitoring movement of the portable device by a second sensor disposed in the portable device, and suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor in accordance with the movement of the portable device detected by the second sensor.
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1. A method for managing a location sensing operation for at least one location-based application executed on a portable device, comprising: activating a first sensor disposed in the portable device so as to provide the location sensing operation requested by the at least one location-based application; periodically determining whether the portable device is moving by a second sensor disposed in the portable device; suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor in response to determining that the portable device is not moving by the second sensor; and determining a confidence value associated with a current mobility profile of the portable device, wherein the confidence value is based at least in part on whether a current location or route is a location or route that is frequently traversed by the portable device; wherein the length of an interval for which the location sensing operation is suppressed is based on the determined confidence value.
A method for managing location sensing on a portable device running location-based apps. It activates a first sensor (like GPS) to provide location data. A second sensor (like an accelerometer) periodically checks if the device is moving. If the second sensor determines the device is stationary, the first sensor is suppressed to save power. The suppression duration is based on a confidence value derived from the device's mobility profile (e.g., how often the device visits a location or follows a route). High confidence in a stationary profile leads to longer suppression.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor has a power consumption lower than that of the first sensor.
Building upon the location sensing method, the second sensor used to detect movement consumes less power than the first location sensor. This ensures that the power saved by suppressing the first sensor outweighs the power used by the second sensor for movement detection. This optimizes the overall power efficiency of location tracking on the portable device.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first sensor is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor.
Expanding on the power-saving location sensing method, the first sensor, which provides the location sensing operation, is a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor. GPS sensors are typically power-intensive, making their suppression during periods of device immobility particularly beneficial for battery life. The second sensor (as described previously) has lower power consumption than GPS.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second sensor is an accelerometer.
Within the power-saving location sensing method, the second sensor used to detect movement is an accelerometer. Accelerometers are low-power sensors that can effectively determine device movement or lack thereof. The accelerometer allows for determining whether the first location sensor (as described previously) should be suppressed. The first sensor has higher power consumption than the accelerometer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the portable device is moving comprises: comparing a first set of sensor readings provided by the second sensor at a first time interval; comparing a second set of sensor readings provided by the second sensor at a second time interval, wherein the second time interval includes a plurality of the first time intervals; and determining the first set of sensor readings has a first variation below a first threshold and the second set of sensor readings has a second variation below a second threshold.
In the location sensing method, determining device movement involves comparing sensor readings from the second sensor (like an accelerometer) at different time intervals. A first set of readings from a short time interval is compared to a second set of readings from a longer time interval (containing multiple short intervals). Movement is determined if variations in both sets of readings exceed predefined thresholds. The first sensor (e.g., GPS) gets suppressed if movement is below both thresholds.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first set of sensor readings includes at least two consecutive sensor readings collected at the first time interval and the second set of sensor readings is selected from the first set of sensor readings.
Referring to the movement detection method, the "first set of sensor readings" includes at least two consecutive readings from the second sensor during the shorter time interval. The "second set of sensor readings" is selected from this same first set. This implies examining very short-term variations within a longer time window to confirm a lack of motion before suppressing the first location sensor (e.g., GPS).
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first and second thresholds are to each other.
In the movement detection process for the power-saving location method, the thresholds used to determine movement (the first threshold for the short time interval and the second threshold for the longer time interval) are equal to each other. This simplifies the movement detection logic by using the same sensitivity level across different time scales. If sensor variations are below the threshold, the first location sensor (e.g., GPS) is suppressed.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor further comprises deactivating the first sensor.
When suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor (e.g., GPS) due to detected immobility, the first sensor is completely deactivated. This ensures that the first sensor consumes no power during the suppression interval. Deactivation further improves power efficiency compared to simply reducing the frequency of location updates.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor comprises unregistering the first sensor.
Instead of deactivating the first location sensor, suppressing its operation means unregistering it from providing location updates. The location-based application no longer receives data from the first sensor during the suppression period. The first sensor might still be active, but its data is not being used, saving some power compared to continuous operation.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting the portable device has movement; and activating the first sensor.
The power-saving location method also includes detecting when the portable device *starts* moving. When movement is detected, the first location sensor (e.g., GPS), which was previously suppressed, is reactivated. This ensures location tracking resumes promptly when the device is no longer stationary.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein detecting the portable device has movement further comprises: comparing a set of sensor readings provided by the second sensor at a first time interval; and determining the set of sensor readings has a variation that is over a threshold.
Detecting that the portable device has movement involves comparing sensor readings from the second sensor (e.g., an accelerometer) over a time interval. If the variation in these readings exceeds a defined threshold, it is determined that the device is moving. This triggers the reactivation of the first location sensor (e.g., GPS).
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one location-based application has a location sensing requirement, the method further comprising: suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor when the location sensing requirement of the at least one location-based application is lower than a predetermined requirement.
If a location-based application has a low requirement for location accuracy or frequent updates, the first location sensor's operation is suppressed, regardless of detected movement. This allows for further power savings when high-precision location data is not needed. Suppression only occurs if the application's location sensing requirement is lower than a predetermined value.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising verifying the status of the portable device when the location sensing operation of the first sensor is suppressed.
While the first location sensor is suppressed, the method verifies the status of the portable device. This check ensures that the initial determination of immobility is still valid. This might involve rechecking sensor readings from the second sensor or implementing other confirmation mechanisms to prevent inaccurate location data due to premature sensor suppression.
14. A portable device for providing at least one location-based application, comprising: a digital processor configured to execute at least one location-based application, the location-based application requesting a location sensing operation; a first sensor configured to execute the location sensing operation requested by the at least one location-based application; and a second sensor configured to periodically determine whether the portable device is moving; wherein the digital processor is further configured to suppress the location sensing operation of the first sensor in response to determining that the portable device is not moving by the second sensor, and to determine a confidence value associated with a current mobility profile of the portable device, wherein the confidence value is based at least in part on whether a current location or route is a location or route that is frequently traversed by the portable device; wherein the length of an interval for which the location sensing operation is suppressed is based on the determined confidence value.
A portable device running location-based apps includes a processor, a first location sensor (e.g., GPS), and a second sensor (e.g., an accelerometer). The processor executes location-based apps that request location data. The second sensor periodically checks for device movement. If the second sensor detects immobility, the processor suppresses the first sensor to save power. The suppression duration is based on a confidence value derived from the device's mobility profile (e.g., frequently traversed locations).
15. The portable device of claim 14 , further comprising a memory configured to store computer executable codes of the at least one location-based application and to store sensor reading collected from the second sensor.
This portable device also includes a memory that stores the location-based application's code and sensor readings from the second sensor (e.g., accelerometer). The stored sensor readings are used to determine device movement. The memory facilitates the implementation of the power-saving location sensing method.
16. The portable device of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the portable device is moving comprises comparing the sensor readings of the second sensor collected at a first time interval and comparing the sensor readings of the second sensor collected at a second time interval, wherein the second time interval includes a plurality of the first time intervals, and wherein suppressing the first sensor comprises deactivating the first sensor when the first set of sensor readings has a first variation below a first threshold and the second set of sensor readings has a second variation below a second threshold.
In this portable device, determining movement involves comparing sensor readings from the second sensor (e.g., accelerometer) at different time intervals. A short interval's readings are compared to a longer interval's readings. If variations in both sets of readings are below predefined thresholds, the first location sensor (e.g., GPS) is deactivated. This conserves power when the device is stationary. The first sensor deactivates when readings are below thresholds.
17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable codes stored thereon, the computer readable codes, when executed by a digital process disposed in a portable device, managing a location sensing operation for at least one location-based application, the computer readable codes comprising instructions for: activating a first sensor so as to provide the location sensing operation requested by the at least one location-based application; periodically determining whether the portable device is moving by a second sensor disposed in the portable device; suppressing the location sensing operation of the first sensor in response to determining that the portable device is not moving by the second sensor; and determining a confidence value associated with a current mobility profile of the portable device, wherein the confidence value is based at least in part on whether a current location or route is a location or route that is frequently traversed by the portable device; wherein the length of an interval for which the location sensing operation is suppressed is based on the determined confidence value.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium (like a memory card) stores instructions that, when executed on a portable device, manage location sensing for location-based apps. These instructions activate a first sensor (e.g., GPS), use a second sensor (e.g., accelerometer) to periodically check for movement, and suppress the first sensor if no movement is detected. Suppression duration is based on a confidence value derived from the device's mobility profile, considering frequently visited locations and routes.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions for determining whether the portable device is moving comprise instructions for: comparing a first set of sensor readings of the second sensor collected at a first time interval; and comparing a second set of sensor readings of the second sensor collected at a second time interval, wherein the second time interval includes a plurality of the first time intervals; and wherein the instructions for suppressing the first sensor further comprise instructions for: deactivating the sensing operation of the first sensor when the first set of sensor readings has a first variation below a first threshold and the second set of sensor readings has a second variation below a second threshold.
The non-transitory computer-readable medium's instructions for detecting movement involve comparing sensor readings from the second sensor (e.g., accelerometer) across different time intervals: a short interval and a longer interval containing several short intervals. The instructions suppress the first sensor (e.g., GPS) by deactivating it if the sensor readings variations in both intervals are below predefined thresholds. This ensures power conservation when the device is stationary.
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June 2, 2010
September 10, 2013
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